Exercise - Using Simulation Macros

Simulation macros are a form of Component macros. Their purpose is to make simulation more realistic by adding physical components to the electronic devices.

When the Flowcode program is compiled and downloaded to a microcontroller, they are ignored - hence the name Simulation macros.

Even a cursory glance at the dialogue box used to configure them shows that they are very powerful devices, with a huge range of possible effects.

This exercise uses two of them to illustrate the use of a PIR (Passive Infra-Red sensor) to operate an intruder sensor.

The scenario

The scene depicts the front of a house.

A PIR sensor is mounted on the wall of the house, above the path leading across the garden.

The data sheet for the PIR shows that it is sensitive to a range of 10 metres, within a cone of angle 100 degrees.

Its detection area is represented in the image by the pale blue cone.

When an intruder enters the detection cone, a warning lamp lights up in the house.

The System Panel

On the System Panel, viewed from above (the default position,)create:

• a brick wall, represented by adding a red cuboid and changing it to a rectangle, 15mm wide, 120mm high and 120mm deep,

located at coordinates x = 0, y = 0, z = 60,

with rotation settings X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0;

• a path, represented by a grey rectangle, 240mm wide, 100mm high and 0mm deep,

located at coordinatesx = 125mm, y = 0mm, z = 0mm,

with rotation settings of X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0;

• a cone, couloured light blue, representing the sensing region of the PIR, with width = 70mm, height = 250mm, depth 95mm,

located at coordinates x = 45mm, y = 0mm, z = 80mm,

with rotation settings of X = 0, Y = -55, Z = 0.

• Drag the mouse cursor over these three elements and group them together.

This produces 'group 1'.

Give this group:

dimensions - width = 265mm, height = 250mm, depth = 135mm;

coordinates - x = 128, y = 0, z = 68;

rotation - X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0.

Also on the System Panel, create an intruder, by:

• adding four spheres, and configuruing the properties as follows:

sphere 1 (the head):

colour pink;

dimensions - width = 12mm, height = 13mm, depth = 15mm;

coordinates - x = -2.2, y = 0.7, z = 22;

rotation - X = 90, Y = 0, Z = 0.

sphere 2 (the body):

colour blue;

dimensions - width = 14mm, height = 26mm, depth = 24mm;

coordinates - x = -2.2, y = 0.5, z = 4;

rotation - X = 90, Y = 0, Z = -180.

sphere 3 (the legs):

colour dark green;

dimensions - width = 9mm, height = 23mm, depth = 15mm;

coordinates - x = -2.2, y = 1, z = -16;

rotation - X = 90, Y = 0, Z = -180.

sphere 4 (the feet):

colour black;

dimensions - width = 6mm, height = 15mm, depth = 25mm;

coordinates - x = -6, y = 0, z = -25;

rotation - X = 90, Y = 90, Z = 0.

• Drag the mouse cursor over the four spheres and group them together.

This produces 'group 2'.

Give it:

dimensions - width = 18mm, height = 32mm, depth = 60mm;

coordinates - x = 165, y = 0, z = 28;

rotation - X = 0, Y = 0, Z = 0.

The System Panel should resemble the image shown above. (The image has been rotated to show all components. The table-top is coloured green.)

Click on the 'Collisions' icon, and select the 'Move through' option, which allows the intruder to enter the detection cone.

The Dashboard Panel

• Open the 'Outputs' toolbox, and locate the 'LED 5mm Panel' device.
• Click on the down arrow next to it and choose the 'Add to dashboard panel' option.
• Zoom in to the Dashboard Panel to make the LED large enough to see.
• Click on the LED and configure its properties as follows:

• choose a suitable colour, such as red;
• connect it to Port A, bit 0.

The Flowcode program

The plan is to move the intruder towards the detection cone using the 'MoveAlong' macro. This changes the x coordinate of the intruder by an amount specified by the variable 'xpos'. When the intruder enters the detection zone, the macro 'CollisionTest' returns a value of '1' in the variable 'hit'. At that point, we want to stop any more movement so that we can look at the x coordinate of the intruder.

• Open Flowcode.

• On the Startup screen, click on 'New project' to create a new flowchart.

• Add the icons shown in the flowchart:

• a loop icon, configured as an infinite loop, and within it:

• two Simulation macro icons ;

File:Exercise SimIcon Sim move.png

• a decision icon with:

• a 'Yes' loop containing an output icon, followed by a delay icon and then a calculation icon;
• a 'No' loop containing an output icon, followed by a delay icon;

• Configure the icons, by double clicking on each in turn, as follows:

• the top Simulation macro:

• name it "Move the intruder";
• click on the 'Panel' tab, and then on the 'Position' folder;
• click on the 'MoveAlong' macro and:

• choose 'group2'(the intruder)as the Handle;
• choose 'shape1'( the brick wall) as the Axis;
• click on the down arrow on the end of the 'X' row, and create a floating point variable called "xpos", with an initial value 5.0, to use as the X variable;
• click on OK.

File:Exercise SimIcon Sim test.png

• the second Simulation macro:

• name it "Check detection";
• click on the 'Panel' tab, and then on the 'Collision' folder;
• click on the 'TestSingle' macro and:

• choose 'shape2'(the detection cone) for 'Pos' and 'shape5' (the intruder's head,) for 'Test';

• use the down arrow at the end of the 'Return Value' box to create a boolean variable caled "hit" to use as the 'Return Value'.

• click on OK.

• the decision icon:

• name it "Intruder detected?";
• insert the condition "hit = 1";
• click on OK.

• In the 'Yes' loop:

• name the Output icon "Switch on lamp";
• send value '1' to Port A single bit 0;
• click on OK.

• name the Delay icon "Wait 100ms";
• configure it to give a delay of 100ms;
• click on OK.

• name the Calculation icon "Stop movement";
• in the 'Calculations:' box, insert "xpos = 0" to reduce the distance incremented each time to zero;
• click on OK.

• In the 'No' loop:

• name the Output icon "Switch off lamp";
• send value '0' to Port A single bit 0;
• click on OK.

• name the Delay icon "Wait 100ms";
• configure it to give a delay of 100ms;
• click on OK.

File:Exercise SimIcon Sim prog.png

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